Competitive Vermintide: An Introductory Guide to Getting Ahead in the Rat Race

Edit: Please note this post is satire.

Please don't take this guide seriously. thank you.

Hi and welcome to my first guide. I've played many hours of both V1 and V2 and just wanted to pass on my skills to the community at large. I think it's important to mention that I have very good < muh stats <– click

I've noticed around this subreddit especially, there seems to be a generally worshipped playstyle centered around celebrating "team play" and things like that. While I'm not necessarily opposed to this, I think it's important that we stop idolizing one style of gameplay and start being more open-minded. Everyone has their own way of playing Vermintide, and sometimes it might just be a bit different.

So anyways – this guide is my first, aimed towards intermediate players looking to use their skills in Vermintide to begin optimizing their play for the best stats in game. In my view, Vermintide is not only a coop game, but a competitive coop game. We are not competing only against ratmen and northlanders, darlings, but against the lumberfoots and mayflies that consist of the Ubersreik Five*. But how do you beat your friends competitors do you ask? Well, just by having the best stats. And this is my guide to getting that. So let's get started!

(Let's not get carried away – I just want to mention that is this by no means a comprehensive guide to Competitive Vermintide. I'm just trying to give any aspiring man-things the resources they need to start their journey to victory in competitive Vermintide.)

*or four, it doesn't matter

Friendly fire

Ah yes, friendly fire: a controversial topic. While many players remain staunchly opposed to friendly fire, friendly fire is a complex topic and it's difficult to simply label it as a completely positive aspect of the game – or, on the other end, a completely negative aspect – especially when you are playing competitively.

I just want to mention that, FF is not as bad as you think:

First off, most projectiles will actually pierce through other players, so don't worry if you accidentally hit your lumberfooting "friend". Your arrow will continue through these mayflies and ravage the bodies of any northlanders and ratmen unlucky enough to be standing in your way. So you can still get that precious damage taken stat even if you do use friendly fire.

Another thing to keep in mind is that when you FF another player, it increases their Damage Taken stat. Although I will explain below that Damage Taken is not as important when playing competitively, it definitely will make your Damage Taken comparatively less (which gives you better stats).

Don't worry about getting kicked, I do this all the time, and it never happens to me.

Of course, FF is not totally a good thing. One important thing to keep in mind that it can possibly waste valuable ammunition (though this is not always the case because projectiles will pierce through other players, as explained above). In addition it can occasionally trigger VO lines, which some of you may fly annoying.

see what I did there? "May find"? "May fly"? no? it's ok.

Running ahead

Ah, another complex topic. Many players are annoyed by running ahead. Those lumberfoots are sometimes too slow for your Asrai skills which can result in them getting surrounded, or worse, dying.

However, experienced competitors will find that running ahead can be a useful tactic when used properly:

If the other players are killed as a result of your running ahead, this actually prevents them from dealing more damage, thus making your stats comparatively higher.

It also increases their damage taken when they get surrounded.

No mayflies around to steal your kills.

It makes you look cool because you are clutching.

Of course, only experienced players should attempt this strategy as it may be difficult to speed run and deal damage at the same time. Keep in mind this skill can be improved over time, so don't worry if you don't feel comfortable running ahead just yet.

Pinging enemies

An interesting feature in this game is the ability to "ping" enemies by pressing T, which highlights them in blue for a brief period of time. This is useful because you will be able to see them more clearly amidst hordes and other obstructions.

Although common belief is to ping whenever possible, keep in mind this makes it easier for your competitors to find and destroy these enemies. Therefore, use caution when using this feature. It may result in other players stealing your kills.

Specials and elites

Specials and elites are an extremely important factor because they have their own stat sections about them. If you kill the most specials/elites, you get extra green circles. Because of this, these enemies are very important and worth attention.

To maximize your special and elite kills, make sure you are always on the lookout for any of these enemies. Even if there is a horde, just focus on scanning for specials. Although the other players will be getting lots of kills due to slaverats/zombies, keep in mind you are still getting stats for Special kills + Damage dealt.

You might say, "how can I do this without taking damage from the horde that's ravaging its way towards my blessed body?" Well, actually, this brings us to the next section…

Health and damage

I know, I know, but damage taken is really not as important as you think, mayfly. As long as you get to the portal, mission accomplished. Say whatever you want about your "heroes alive XP bonus" or "grims and tomes", but the #1 aspect of competitive play is coming out on top. So if that means you had to take 10 healing items through the level, but got 1 more damage dealt than the rest of the players, go for it. After all, we are playing to maximize our own stats not the ones of other players.

(If it's any consolation, getting the most damage taken gives you a green circle. Green circles are a good thing, right?)

Conclusion

Thanks for reading my quick tutorial, I hope you found it useful. In summary, just make sure that you are playing aggressively to get the best stats. One technique I've found useful is to analyze my actions in-game. For example – I used to heal other players when they were wounded and about to die. But by thinking critically about my actions in-game, I realized that this did not match up with my goals. Healing other players would mean that I would not be able to heal myself later on, in case I took damage. Therefore, I tend to avoid healing lumberfeet unless it is absolutely necessary.

Anyways, thanks for reading my guide. If you have any questions I will be answering them in the comments. Be sure to hit that upvote button if you found this useful. Thanks again!

A bit of backstory: A month ago, my mom died unexpectedly, and my brother has been taking it rather hard. In an effort to get his mind off it, I got Vermintide for him to play "LAN-like": Just the two of us in a private game. It worked - the first time I've heard him…

Hunger in the Dark Team consisting of IB w/Drakegun and Maiden with fast cooldown and spear or glaive Other two classes need to be high DPS like BH w/Volley, Pyromancer w/beam or bolt, Kruber with Exe sword or Halberd Slayer with dual axes is also a very viable choice as it shreds the hell out…

Top-10 Best Video Games of 2018 So Far

2018 has been a stellar year for video game fans, and there's still more to come. The list for the Best Games of So Far!

Top-10 Most Anticipated Video Games of 2019

With 2018 bringing such incredible titles to gaming, it's no wonder everyone's already looking forward to 2019's offerings. All the best new games slated for a 2019 release, fans all over the world want to dive into these anticipated games!